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Thursday, August 10, 2017

French literary reporter for LE MONDE in Paris pens a very good article about JG Ballard, author of DROUGHT and other 1960s novels about climate -- (translation here in GME, aka Google Machine English)

''The Madonna of Global Warming'': Photo and Caption by French novelist Yann Quero

[The weatherbeaten limestone statue is at a church in northern France]

JG Ballard's novel 'Drought' irrigated our vision of the future

This novel by J. G. Ballard, published in 1964, imagined a land where humans are faced with a deadly heatwave.

===================================EXCERPTS IN TRANSLATION: [AND NOT IN CORRECT ORDER YET!]

Of Kim Stanley Robinson, it is Ballard under a new light. "For Jean-Marc Ligny, precisely, including the famous Aqua Trilogy™ (2006), mass exoduses (2012) and seeds (2015), published in editions the Atalante, puts in scene a planet ravaged by the consequences of global warming, Ballard has become a classic, and the author who, with Philip K. Dick, gave him the desire to write. Nevertheless, while Jean-Marc Ligny compulse the reports of the experts of the United Nations to document and propose the intrigues inspired by the scientific modeling, it note that "Ballard is only interested in images that generates the disaster. If it influenced me, it is less by the theme of his novels Post-apocalyptiques that by his art in the description. His novels are immobile, he still works descriptions realistic. However, it is a challenge to do so, such as in the world engulfed, everything a novel at the edge of the water. "" Blessed resignation "It is indeed what strikes at Ballard: The decor, devouring, and inaction of the characters who are, according to the formula of Jean-Marc Ligny," as spectators of the disaster, the victims of their own internal desert". Ballard is the king of the Landscapes Sorry, stages terminals, these places decommissioned that recall the paintings De Chirico or of Dali, artists which he feels close. The source of his attraction to the situations of decadence is without doubt to search in his childhood, that of a young British who attends, Shanghai, the collapse of his world, and that is the experience of the Japanese camps, as he recounted in Empire of the Sun (1984) - adapted for cinema by Steven Spielberg in 1987.That is important, in the background, the origin of its visions, the more strange at Ballard remains that the conviction of the disaster is pegged to an unalterable resignation. " More The situation becomes precarious, the more the characters the Accept and sink in the inaction and the Non-pensée", note Jean-Marc Ligny. The screenwriter of BD Olivier Cotte, including one of the sources of any new album, The day after the world (with Xavier Coste, Casterman BD, 152 pages), is precisely the world engulfed (the central character has the same name as the hero of Ballard), evokes even "the blessed resignation" with which to adapt the heroes: "There is the opposite of the films disasters in which humanity is faced with adversity. Here, there is no antagonism between humanity and the natural forces. We can even say that the decor is the reflection of the unconscious of the character. "Better, Ballard clears the concept for the future, blurs the line of the time. He often referred to his sense of a "present proliferating" which devours the past and prevents to consider the future. Its characters must often create their own concept of time at the same time they are nodding to disaster which happens. This spectacular numbness is quite close to our inability to take the measure of the climate catastrophe. The decline of the world is no longer a view of the Spirit, but the line disenchanted A horizon arid to which no collectively opposed that one passive resistance. It is perhaps here the echo the Ballardian more of our twenty-first century. 

It is of books which seem to anchored in their time. Until the events show that they speak of the present time, or even affect him. This week, "drought", J. G. Ballard who, in 1964, imagined a land where humans are faced with a deathly heatwave in 2015, whereas the heatwave was raging in California, the Los Angeles Daily News proposed a list of recommendations to its readers "desiccated".Among the ten titles recommended by the newspaper, one figured prominently -- Drought, by J. G. Ballard (1930-2009), a novel about which was added this note: "a little too close for comfort" ("a little too close to the reality to make you feel at ease").

And in fact, as soon as the first pages, this work of Science-Fiction, published in 1964, is entering a world without water, without clouds and without shadow. The sea, covered with a thin layer of plastic pollution, do evaporates more, and it is in a small town sandy, where the fire is to reign in master, that Dr. Ransom, hero of the book, tries to survive. We are in the fifth month of drought. This burning Acme has been preceded by the crises which have seen of the geographical areas as different as the Saskatchewan and the valley of the Loire, Kazakhstan and the region of the tea of Madras to Change" in basins of arid dust," says the narrator. The landscape which offers itself to the eyes of ransom is only desolation: streets strewn with detritus, mudslides Dried, dead birds, stranded fish. In the distance, dazzling dunes and dark plumes of smoke. Not what refresh, in effect, a californian drive in the heart of the furnace.Pioneer of the "climate fiction" when J. G. Ballard writing drought, it ignores that the climate warming is underway and that the risk of dying of hot will affect three out of four people by the end of the twenty-first century, in the hypothesis where emissions of greenhouse gases are continuing at the current pace. The idea of a world in hyperthermia is totally non-existent at the beginning of the 1960s, when the British, aged 30 years, is asserted as a writer of Science-fiction. The futureof the planet starts to cause some concern, certainly, but they mainly concern the impact of the chemistry on the natural world or the deathly power of the nuclear technology. The climate is not then designated as a threat. Ballard, which is not yet the author recognized that it will be after the release of Crash (1973), and even more after the film adaptation by David Cronenberg (1996), proposes, him, a series Post-apocalyptique which contains, in addition to drought, three titles: the wind of nowhere (1961), the world engulfed (1962), and the forest of Crystal (1966). Among these novels, only drought is really "écofictionnel", within the meaning of Christian Chelebourg in his book The Ecofictions. Mythologies of the end of the world (the new impressions, 2012), since the accident is here explicitly linked to pollution due to plastic and therefore caused by man. But they all have a few isolated individuals attempting to survive after a natural disaster. Ballard was yet the militant to no cause, even that it was very little interested by the credibility of his scenario. For evidence, the few cases that he was of the plausibility of its physical Explanation: This "monomolecular film thin but strong "fixed on the sea is mentioned in the detour of a sentence. The specialists of his work rather focus on his pessimism of land, which was to feed a natural appetite for the purposes of the world, the theme that it deals, as noted Christian Chelebourg, from a "imaginary Gothico-romantique". Ballard Lui-même, citing the Deluge already mentioned in the Epic of Gilgamesh, will say that the Science-fiction is that "a minor branch of the cataclysmic Legends", since it cannot know" no limit to the need that has the man to design the destruction of the world he lives". Nevertheless, with novels such as drought or the world engulfed, in which one finds another great contemporary fear, the rise of the waters, the author Year Nevertheless, with novels such as drought or the world engulfed, in which one finds another great contemporary fear, the rise of the water, the English author is at the heart of a vein very rich of the Science-Fiction which he is sometimes given for pioneer: The "Cli-fi". The "Climate fiction" (term is invented in 2007 by the American Dan Bloom) refers to the literature which is inspired by the warming of the planet and of the transformations that it creates. This Science-fiction to the mode of the twenty-first century would be, say critics, least intended tomake us escape from our problems to there we confront. It has become the subject of specialized sections in bookstores Anglo-saxonnes, gives place to the symposia and, especially, is enriched each year of a considerable number of new stories. With its staging of handles of survivors returned to nomads after the disappearance of water sources and the decline of the seas, with its men and women in distress in a universe of rust and salt, deeply hostile, the author of Drought seems to paint a disastrous future of climate migration. According to Dan Bloom, Ballard was in effect in advance on

us to escape from our problems to there we confront. It has become the subject of specialized sections in bookstores Anglo-saxonnes, gives place to the symposia and, especially, is enriched each year of a considerable number of new stories. With its staging of handles of survivors returned to nomads after the disappearance of water sources and the decline of the seas, with its men and women in distress in a universe of rust and salt, deeply hostile, the author of Drought seems to paint a disastrous future of climate migration. According to Dan Bloom, Ballard was in effect in advance on his time: "He saw the future of the climate before all others. It was a prophet. Although Ballard has written in the 1960s, his novels resonate in our ears of familiar way. Why? Because the Cli-fi is in the air, all around us. JeanMarc Ligny is the Ballard French. In the United States, the novel New York 2140 [not translated], tions. Mythologies of the end of the world (the new impressions, 2012), since the accident is here explicitly linked to pollution due to plastic and therefore caused by man. But they all have a few isolated individuals attempting to survive after a natural disaster. Ballard was yet the militant to no cause, even that it was very little interested by the credibility of his scenario. For evidence, the few cases that he was of the plausibility of its physical Explanation: This "monomolecular film thin but strong "fixed on the sea is mentioned in the detour of a sentence. The specialists of his work rather focus on his pessimism of land, which was to feed a natural appetite for the purposes of the world, the theme that it deals, as noted Christian Chelebourg, from a "imaginary Gothico-romantique". Ballard Lui-même, citing the Deluge already mentioned in the Epic of Gilgamesh, will say that the Science-fiction is that "a minor branch of the cataclysmic Legends", since it cannot know" no limit to the need that has the man to design the destruction of the world he lives". Nevertheless, with novels such as drought or the world engulfed, in which one finds another great contemporary fear, the rise of the water, the English author is at the heart of a vein very rich of the Science-Fiction which he is sometimes given for pioneer: The "Cli-fi". The "Climate fiction" (term is invented in 2007 by the American Dan Bloom) refers to the literature which is inspired by the warming of the planet and of the transformations that it creates. This Science-fiction to the mode of the twenty-first century would be, say critics, least intended response to the world begins to cause some concern, certainly, but they mainly concern the impact of the chemistry on the natural world or the deathly power of the nuclear technology. The climate is not then designated as a threat. Ballard, which is not yet the author recognized that it will be after the release of Crash (1973), and even more after the film adaptation by David Cronenberg (1996)...

We do escape from our problems to there we confront. It has become the subject of specialized sections in bookstores Anglo-saxonnes, gives place to the symposia and, especially, is enriched each year of a considerable number of new stories. With its staging of handles of survivors returned to nomads after the disappearance of water sources and the decline of the seas, with its men and women in distress in a universe of rust and salt, deeply hostile, the author of Drought seems to paint a disastrous future of climate migration. According to Dan Bloom, Ballard was in effect in advance on his time: "He saw the future of the climate before all others. It was a prophet. Although Ballard has written in the 1960s, his novels resonate in our ears of familiar way. Why? Because the Cli-fi is in the air, all around us. JeanMarc Ligny is the Ballard French. In the United States, the novel New York 2140 [not translated], tions. Mythologies of the end of the world (the new impressions, 2012), since the accident is here explicitly linked to pollution due to plastic and therefore caused by man. But they all have a few isolated individuals attempting to survive after a natural disaster. Ballard(1996), proposes, him, a series Post-apocalyptique which contains, in addition to drought, three titles: the wind of nowhere (1961), the world engulfed (1962), and the forest of Crystal (1966). Among these novels, only drought is really "écofictionnel", within the meaning of Christian Chelebourg in his book The EcoficPionnier of the "climate fiction" when J. G. Ballard writing drought, it ignores that the climate warming is underway and that the risk of dying of hot will affect three out of four people by the end of the twenty-first century, in the hypothesis where emissions of greenhouse gases are continuing at the current pace. The idea of a world in hyperthermia is totally non-existent at the beginning of the 1960s, when the British, aged 30 years, is asserted as a writer of Science-fiction. The Future....

Pioneer of the "climate fiction" when J. G. Ballard writing drought, it ignores that the climate warming is underway and that the risk of dying of hot will affect three out of four people by the end of the twenty-first century, in the hypothesis where emissions of greenhouse gases are continuing at the current pace. The idea of a world in hyperthermia is totally non-existent at the beginning of the 1960s, when the British, aged 30 years, is asserted as a writer of Science-fiction. The futureof the planet starts to cause some concern, certainly, but they mainly concern the impact of the chemistry on the natural world or the deathly power of the nuclear technology. The climate is not then designated as a threat. Ballard, which is not yet the author recognized that it will be after the release of Crash (1973), and even more after the film adaptation by David Cronenberg (1996), proposes, him, a series Post-apocalyptique which contains, in addition to drought, three titles: the wind of nowhere (1961), the world engulfed (1962), and the forest of Crystal (1966). Among these novels, only drought is really "écofictionnel", within the meaning of Professor Christian Chelebourg in his book ''Ecofictions.'' Mythologies of the end of the world (the new impressions, 2012), since the accident is here explicitly linked to pollution due to plastic and therefore caused by man. But they all have a few isolated individuals attempting to survive after a natural disaster. Ballard was yet the militant to no cause, even that it was very little interested by the credibility of his scenario. For evidence, the few cases that he was of the plausibility of its physical Explanation: This "monomolecular film thin but strong "fixed on the sea is mentioned in the detour of a sentence. The specialists of his work rather focus on his pessimism of land, which was to feed a natural appetite for the purposes of the world, the theme that it deals, as noted Christian Chelebourg, from a "imaginary Gothico-romantique". Ballard lui-même, citing the deluge already mentioned in the Epic of Gilgamesh, will say that the Science-fiction is that "a minor branch of the cataclysmic Legends", since it cannot know" no limit to the need that has the man to design the destruction of the world he lives".

Nevertheless, with novels such as drought or the world engulfed, in which one finds another great contemporary fear, the rise of the water, the UK author is at the heart of a vein very rich of the Science-Fiction which he is sometimes given for pioneer: "Cli-fi".

"Climate fiction" -- (the coinage was created and promoted in the English-speaking world by the 68-year-old American journalist and public relations literary gadfly Dan Bloom who is based in Taiwan) -- refers to the literature which is inspired by the warming of the planet and of the transformations that it creates. Science-fiction tends to make us escape from our climate-related problems that we need to confront. Therefore, cli-fi has become the subject of specialized sections in English-speaking nations and their bookstores, and has led to symposiums and academic conferences worldwide and, especially, is enriched each year with of a considerable number of new cli-fi novels and short stories. With its staging of handles of survivors returned to nomads after the disappearance of water sources and the decline of the seas, with its men and women in distress....

For French novelist Jean-Marc Ligny, precisely, including the famous ''Aqua Trilogy™'' (2006), ''exodus'' (2012) and ''seeds'' (2015), published by Atalante Books, puts in scene a planet ravaged by the consequences of global warming, Ballard has become a classic, and the author who, with Philip K. Dick, gave him the desire to write.

Nevertheless, while Jean-Marc Ligny compulse the reports of the experts of the United Nations to document and propose the intrigues inspired by the scientific modeling, it note that "Ballard is only interested in images that generates the disaster. If it influenced me, it is less by the theme of his novels Post-apocalyptiques that by his art in the description. His novels are immobile, he still works descriptions realistic. However, it is a challenge to do so, such as in the world engulfed, everything a novel at the edge of the water. "

We do escape from our problems to there we confront. It has become the subject of specialized sections in bookstores Anglo-saxonnes, gives place to the symposia and, especially, is enriched each year of a considerable number of new stories. With its staging of handles of survivors returned to nomads after the disappearance of water sources and the decline of the seas, with its men and women in distress in a universe of rust and salt, deeply hostile, the author of Drought seems to paint a disastrous future of climate migration.

According to Dan Bloom, Ballard was, in effect, in advance of his time:

"He saw the future of today's climate issues before all others did," Bloom told Le Monde by email. "He was a prophet. Although Ballard was writing in the 1960s, his novels resonate with readers today in a very familiar way. Why? Because 'Cli-fi' is in the air, all around us. Jean-Marc Ligny is the 'French' Ballard . In the United States, Kim Stanley Robinson's cli-fi novel ''New York 2140''did well. KSR is the new American Ballard, in a new light!"

David Brin, born in 1950, is a USA author of science fiction is very well known in the United States, whose work is the responsibility of the "hard science-fiction", the vein the most scientifically demanding. A Former consultant of NASA, he has received many awards, notably for its "cycle of the Elevation" (9 volumes, I read). His novel Terre re EARTH (I have read, 1992) puts in scene an overcrowded planet and ravaged by the greenhouse effect, where it is known only to survive with glasses and sun creams. a Distant cousin with the novels post-apocalyptic J. G. Ballard…

QUESTION: J. G. Ballard is it an author in advance on his time? In what way is it singular?

DAVID BRIN: J. G. Ballard belongs to the New Wave (" new wave"), movement, which in the 1960s, has sought to know what was the potential of the science-fiction in terms of literary experimentation. Until then, the science-fiction had served to satire, extrapolations scientists or to test new forms of social organization, or to deploy the History in New Lands. But Ballard joined Harlan Ellison, Alice Sheldon, R. A. Lafferty, John Brunner, Cordwainer Smith, to take out the kind of its comfort zone. In this bubbling, Ballard has taken a pleasure to do if query its drive on its taste, its values, its expectations or even the limits of his body. In the forest of crystal, the characters are to be taken with the idea that the end of humanity can be a matter of transformation, and even liberating transformation. In Crash, it is our aversion to the death which is put in questions when a painful breakup turns to the sexual act and even love.

QUSETION: How would you define the "Cli-fi" ("climate-fiction")?

DAVID BRIN: What is the difference with the "sci-fi" (science-fiction)? "Cli-fi" is a sub-genre of the science-fiction.

It dates back to the years 1950, to their predilection for the stories on the ice age, and the importance given to warming from greenhouse gases in green Sun [Film of 1973, adapted from the novel by Harry Harrison of 1966 Make Room ! Make Room!].

My own novel, EARTH, joined this thematic, just like yesterday, birds, Kate Wilhelm (Xavier Denoël, 1977). More recently, it should quote the Mother of storms, John Barnes (Robert Lｊaffont, 1999).